Goodbye, Mr. Regret

That's right—a woman who always holds out her hand for help is bound to be passive, just like she was now.

Seven years. In that time, she'd lost herself completely. And when the day finally came that she wanted to leave, she found herself trapped at every turn.

In this world, without money, you can barely take a step.

Seven years of marriage, and she hadn't gained the love she wanted, nor the happiness of a small, close-knit family.

All she had to show for it was nothing.

How ironic.

Timothy wanted her gone, yet made sure to cut off anyone who might help her.

He wanted her isolated, with nowhere to turn, until she'd no choice but to crawl back and beg.

Did he really believe she couldn't survive without him?

She only had six months left-originally, her plan was to slip away quietly, without a fight, without making a fuss. But since it's come to this, even if six months is all she has, she'd live those months well.

She'd live them just to show him.

Just then, Timothy's phone buzzed. Secretary Allen was calling.

"Mr. Lawson, we've looked into it. It was the old chairman who made the move. Nothing too serious, but he did buy up a large amount of Wheeler Group stock, then dumped it at a low price over several days. Add to that a string of scandals at Wheeler Group's hospitals-bad press, nonstop news coverage and Wheeler Group's stock has been falling steadily. The old chairman is blatantly playing the stock market with them, and anyone looking can easily trace the trades back to Lawson Group."

Timothy let out a cold laugh. Such a massive corporation, and they're already panicking over something this minor, enough to let Jessica catch wind of it.

Did Herbert really think he could steal a woman from him when he couldn't even hold his own ground?

Utterly laughable.

He'd already cut off Jessica's only financial lifeline. He figured, by tomorrow morning, she'd come crawling back on her own.

He ended the call, grabbed his coat, and headed back to Lawson Mansion.

He went straight to the study as soon as he walked in.

At this hour, his grandfather was usually there, reading and sipping tea.

Timothy sat down across from Phelps without preamble.

"Don't you ever get tired of these games?" he asked, barely masking his annoyance at others meddling in his private life.

"The Wheelers stuck their noses into my grandson's marriage. I mess with their stock a bit-how is that petty?" Phelps replied, perfectly calm.

He'd made his moves in the open, wanting the Wheelers to know exactly who was behind it, hoping they'd back off and stay out of family affairs.

Jessica, naturally, wouldn't dare look to the Wheelers for help anymore.

What Phelps hadn't expected was that Jessica, the "mute girl," actually wanted a divorce from Timothy.

Phelps poured Timothy a cup of tea. "Looks like you've spoiled that girl rotten. You never thought of leaving her, but she's got the nerve to want to leave you. If word gets out, don't you think that's embarrassing?"

"Stop calling her the mute girl. She's my wife."

Last time he was home, everyone kept calling her that, and it grated on his

nerves.

"If you're so keen on defending her, then hurry up and sort this out. I don't want any scandals tarnishing this family."

The Lawsons had been wealthy for generations. Their secret was strict family discipline.

For a family to thrive for centuries, everyone had to toe the line. No exceptions. Otherwise, rot would set in before long.noveldrama

Timothy was his chosen heir, and Phelps would never let any stain mar the boy's

name.

Marrying a mute girl? If word ever got out, it would only show how generous the Lawsons really were.

And, of course, it would be a display of strength-proof they didn't need to rely on alliances to secure their place.

"One more thing-get Sheila out of The Gilded Whisper Estates as soon as possible. Keeping her there is asking for trouble. If she stays any longer, sooner

or later Jessica will find out about you and her. If that happens and Jessica insists on a divorce, both the Lawsons and the Howards will be publicly humiliated. Is that what you want?"